A Frozen Situation
by rosetardis
Summary: While Rose adapts to the new Doctor in the parallel universe, Jackie begins suggesting date ideas and the Doctor is faced with a food he has never encountered before: frozen yogurt. Just some fluff with yogurt!


It had been a month since Rose had last seen the original Doctor. Since she had been left with a recreation of him. As much as she expected denial to continue to wash over her every time she looked at him, she couldn't help realizing just how alike he was to her Doctor.

In fact, they were _exactly_ the same.

And she couldn't help falling more in love with him.

Rose bustled down the stairs of the Tyler mansion, rushing into the kitchen to see the Doctor leaning his elbows against the kitchen island as Jackie Tyler padded around the kitchen making tea.

As the door swung shut behind Rose, the Doctor turned and smiled at her like he had waited all morning just to see her. Jackie called to Rose without looking over at her, "Good, you can make your new-old boyfriend tea since he can't make it himself."

"And why can't he, Mum?" Rose replied.

The Doctor's grin widened as he answered instead. "Don't know how to," he shrugged.

"Really?" Rose cocked an eyebrow. "All of time and space in nine hundred years and there isn't one recollection you have of making yourself some tea?"

"Well," the Doctor tilted his head to one side, "when you put it like that it makes me sound rather apathetic."

"Probably because you are." Rose smiled.

The Doctor crossed the room and embraced her. As Rose buried her head in his shoulder, he kissed the top of her head.

That's all it had been since Bad Wolf Bay. Simple kisses to the forehead and hugs, nothing more. Rose wasn't sure why. She suspected he didn't want to put too much on her as she still got used to her new life with him.

"Good morning to you, too." Rose said as she lifted her head and rested her forehead against his. The skin around his brown eyes crinkled as he smiled at her.

"Morning, sunshine."

"Ahem," Jackie cleared her throat and the two parted. "Maybe your boyfriend-"

"The Doctor," he clarified, interrupting Jackie.

"—may not know how to make tea," she continued as if she hadn't heard him, "but maybe you could treat him to some, I don't know, frozen yogurt. Maybe a walk afterwards."

"Mum, are you planning my dates now?" Rose asked her.

Jackie shrugged and turned away, lifting her mug of tea to her mouth. "Just a suggestion," she swallowed.

Rose turned towards the Doctor, taking his hand in hers, fiddling with his long, slender fingers. "It's up to you, you know."

"Sure, it's only that, um," he captured Rose's fiddling fingers in his hand, "what's frozen yogurt?"

Rose laughed. "Oh, you just see," and with that she pulled him by the hand out of the kitchen.

* * *

Rose wrapped her jacket tighter around herself. At seeing her chilliness, the Doctor cautiously put his arm around her. When she burrowed herself closer to him, he relaxed.

"So, where are we headed again?" he looked down at her as they strolled through the middle of town together.

She turned her head so that her chin rested against the side of his chest. "The best place in town, of course."

"Right," he looked up at the sky, "because that explains so much."

"You'll see. Just be patient."

"I don't know, Rose. Nine hundred years of time and space and patience isn't of relevance to me."

Rose ducked form beneath his arm. "We're here." She crossed in front of him to the small, brightly colored store to their right.

A small bell jingled as they both entered. The smells of chocolate, vanilla, and cookies met Rose's nose as they walked further inside.

Rose looked back at the Doctor, smiling, to see his reaction. He looked away from her, his eyes on everything beyond her. He wrinkled his freckled nose.

"What kind of a place is this?"

The cashier behind the glass display cases gave them a curious look. Rose ignored her, grabbing the Doctor's hand and dragging him over to the starting station. "Come on you,"

"I do have a question, though." The Doctor pointed out as Rose put a Styrofoam cup in his hands. He eyed it with a skeptical look, as if it was punctured with poison and would kill him. "Why are we eating frozen food if it's chilly outside."

"I wouldn't expect such a question out of you. What, with all the crazy things I did with you." She replied, leading him to the second station.

The Doctor hesitated, his eyebrows knitting together. "What's that supposed to mean, Rose Tyler?"

"I don't think you care to know the answer to that question." She tucked a strand of blonde hair behind her ear.

As she observed the toppings behind the glass container, the Doctor came behind her, resting his chin on the top of her head. It was something they had both gotten used to doing, making use of their height difference.

"Now what on Earth are these?" When he talked, his jaw bounced against her head.

"Toppings," she explained patiently, "the different kinds of things you put on your yogurt."

"Ah," he stepped around her, peering down at the toppings. He suddenly dug around in his trouser pockets to uncover a pair of glasses Rose had bought for him the week they were thrown together. They were identical to the ones the original Doctor wore.

Slipping them on, he stooped over to observe the various toppings.

"First time trying some of our yogurt?" the cashier laughed.

The Doctor quickly straightened, putting the glasses back into his pocket.

Rose couldn't help but snicker. "You could say that. Nine hundred years and never has he considered the possibility of frozen yogurt."

The cashier's grin faded as she narrowed her eyes in confusion. Apparently, the Doctor was almost a foreign concept in the parallel universe.

"Only joking," she said quickly, placing her yogurt cup on the weighing tray.

* * *

"So, what did you think of the yogurt?" asked Rose, smiling from ear to ear. She wrapped both her arms around his, looking up at him.

The Doctor didn't look at her, only ahead. He squinted. "Not the best thing you've ever had me try,"

Rose playfully slapped his arm. "Oh, c'mon,"

"Honestly," he looked down at her, "is that stuff supposed to be healthy?"

"_Supposed,_" Rose clarified.

"Oh, well, that explains it."

"They only say it's good for you. As far as I know, it's likely not."

"It's the thought that counts." Suddenly remembering what they were supposed to be doing, his eyes nearly perked up like a dog's. "Weren't we supposed to be on some kind of walk?"

Rose giggled. "That's what we're doing _right now_."

"Well," he gave her a devilish grin, "that's no fun, right?"

And with that he grabbed hold of her hand and soon they were running down the sidewalk hand-in-hand. They finally stopped to sit on a bench in an almost isolated part of town.

The Doctor leaned back and spread his long legs in front of him.

"Just like old times," Rose remarked.

As he slung his arm across the back of the bench, he smiled over at her. "Yeah?"

"Yeah," her smile grew.

"To think your mum actually expected us to walk when from the very beginning that's all we've been doing. Running,"

Rose turned to fully face him. "Do you remember the first words you ever said to me. All those years ago. The one that would sum up almost all of our time together?"

His smile widened. "Run,"

That's when Rose closed the space between them and kissed him. He stood still at first, but then relaxed as his hands melted into her hair. And on that desolate street on a park bench, the Doctor and Rose shared their first kiss since Bad Wolf Bay.


End file.
